Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

For Advent: Why Don’t Catholics Read the Bible? (They Do!)
HolySpiritInteractive.net ^ | not given | Dwight Longenecker

Posted on 12/18/2014 5:00:17 PM PST by Salvation

Why Don’t Catholics Read the Bible?

by Dwight Longenecker

The independent Evangelical church I went to as a boy gave me a fantastic amount of Bible knowledge. There were Bible drills in Sunday School classes, Bible memory contests and Bible quizzes, not to mention a complete grounding in all the Bible stories—illustrated with those wonderful flannelgraph figures. As I got older I listened to long Bible sermons, went to home Bible studies, youth Bible camps and a Bible holiday club. I ended up going to a Christian University where Bible study was part of our everyday schedule.

Our Christian home wasn’t particularly anti-Catholic, but some of our preachers were, and the general impression I got was that Catholics not only didn’t read the Bible, but that they weren’t allowed to. They didn’t go to church with their big black Bibles under their arm. They didn’t have long Bible sermons or home study groups or youth Bible camps. How could Catholics believe the Bible if they didn’t read it and study it like we did?

Its true that many Evangelicals know their Bible upside down and backwards, and compared to them Catholics sometimes seem ignorant of the Bible. But that's only an appearance.

The truth is simply that Catholics and Evangelicals use the Bible in different ways and therefore have different kinds of Bible knowledge. Evangelicals use the Bible as a source book for doctrine and right moral teaching, and that's good. 2 Timothy 3.16 says the Scriptures are 'useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.' Evangelicals also use the Bible for personal devotions and inspiration. This too is Biblical. Psalm 119.27 says, 'Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then will I meditate on your wonders.'

Ordinary Catholics might not be so adept at quoting chapter and verse, but they do know and use Scripture regularly. Its just that they use it in a different way. For a Catholic, Scripture is not so much a book to be studied as a book to worship with. (Ps. 119.7) For Catholics the Bible is almost always used in the context of worship. Did you know that a survey was done to check the amount of Scripture used in the Catholic Mass? The Catholic service was almost 30% Scripture. When the same writer checked his local Bible-based Evangelical church he was surprised to find the total amount of Scripture read took just 3% of the service.

When Catholics go to mass they hear a reading from the Old Testament, they say or sing one of the Psalms, then they listen to a reading from the epistles, then a gospel reading. The whole structure fits together so the communion service if focused on Christ in the gospels. Catholics follow a three year cycle of Scripture reading so a Catholic who goes to church faithfully will--over the three years--hear almost all of the Bible read. Furthermore, the responses, and the words of the communion service are almost all from Scripture. So a church-going Catholic does know and use Scripture--its just that he uses it primarily for meditation and worship (Ps.119.48)--not for personal information and instruction.

And when you think about it, isn't this actually the way Scripture is meant to be used? The Jews recite the Old Testament law in their worship daily. The psalms were the hymn book of the Jews. In the New Testament church they read the letters of the apostles, recited the psalms and used portions of Scripture to praise and worship God just as Catholics do today.(Eph.5.19) We know from the records of the early church that Scripture was used primarily for worship, and only secondarily for study.

Of course, like Evangelicals, Catholics also use the Scripture to determine doctrine and moral principles--its just that the Catholic lay person or pastor doesn't do so on his own. As Paul gave Timothy the apostolic authority to 'rightly divide the word of truth' (2 Timothy 2.15), so Catholics believe their bishops have inherited the authority of the apostles to teach doctrinal and moral truth faithfully. They base this on Paul’s clear instructions to Timothy, ‘the things you have heard me say …entrust to reliable men so that they man in turn teach others.’ (2 Timothy 2.1-2) Therefore, it is the bishops—living, praying and working in a direct line from the apostles-- who use the Bible to determine Christian doctrine and moral principles. That Catholic doctrine and moral teaching is biblically-based is easy to see. Try reading any official Catholic teaching documents and you will find they are--and always have been--permeated and upheld with Scripture.

Nevertheless, memories are long. Some extreme Protestants like to say that the Catholic church not only forbade people to read the Bible, but they deliberately kept the Bible in Latin, chained it up in churches and even went so far as to burn popular translations of the Bible. Its true Bibles were chained in churches. Before the days of printing presses books were precious items. They were chained for security reasons—the way a phone book is secured in a phone booth—to make it available to everyone. The Catholic Church allowed translations into the vernacular from the beginning. The earliest English version of the Bible for instance, is a paraphrase version of Genesis dating from the year 670. In a few places the authorities did burn some translations of the Bible which were deliberately faulty or which carried heretical notes, but this was an attempt to preserve the purity of the scriptures, not to keep it from God’s people. Remembering that in the Middle Ages most people were illiterate, the pastors and teachers of the Catholic Church instructed the people about the biblical stories in many creative and dramatic ways—not unlike my Sunday School teacher’s use of the flannelgraph.

But in saying all this, ordinary modern Catholics could learn a few lessons from Evangelicals about Bible knowledge. We Catholics need more Bible scholars amongst our pastors. We need more resources for personal Bible reading. We need to understand the Scriptures better to see how our faith is rooted and grounded in the Bible. Our own official teachings encourage us to read, study and learn the Scriptures. Dei Verbum--a document about the God's Word from Second Vatican Council says, "...all clergy should remain in close contact with the Scriptures by means of reading and accurate study of the text...similarly the Council earnestly and expressly calls upon all the faithful...to acquire by frequent reading of holy Scripture the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ (Phil 3.8) for as St.Jerome said, "Ignorance of the Scriptures is indeed ignorance of Christ."'

Ecumenism is a two way street. If we have lessons to learn from Evangelicals, many Evangelicals could learn fresh ways of using the Scriptures from us too. Singing the psalms in worship is something Catholics can share with Evangelicals, using a lectionary helps pastors choose Biblical readings which harmonise Old Testament and New Testament, taking the congregation on a logical process through each year of worship. Finally, using chosen readings from the Old Testament, the epistles and then the gospels helps focus the worship on Jesus Christ. Using the Scriptures like this is a practical way for the whole word of God in Scripture to point to the Word of God in the flesh-- our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Catholics and the Bible

  • The Catholic Church finally agreed on which writings should go into the Bible at the Council of Rome in 382 AD during the time of Pope Damasus.
  • Damasus encouraged St Jerome to translate the Scriptures into Latin since Latin was the common language of all educated people.
  • In the mid-1400s the Bible started to be translated into European languages.
  • Some Reformers published Bibles with bits missing, faulty translation work and subversive notes.
  • The authorities tried to regulate which Bibles were acceptable in order to control erroneous teaching.
  • Throughout the years the Catholic Church encouraged Bible reading, but kept control of the interpretation of the Bible as part of her inspired authority to teach the truth and preserve the unity of the church.
  • Pope Leo XIII published a letter in 1893 encouraging Bible study.
  • Pius XII in 1943 also encouraged the faithful to study and love the Bible.
  • The second Vatican Council in the 1960s encouraged all the clergy and people to study the Bible faithfully.


TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; History; Theology
KEYWORDS: bible; catholic
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 201-216 next last
Ordinary Catholics might not be so adept at quoting chapter and verse, but they do know and use Scripture regularly. Its just that they use it in a different way. For a Catholic, Scripture is not so much a book to be studied as a book to worship with. (Ps. 119.7)
1 posted on 12/18/2014 5:00:17 PM PST by Salvation
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway; NYer; ELS; Pyro7480; livius; ArrogantBustard; Catholicguy; RobbyS; marshmallow; ...

I’ve taught and been in numerous Bible studies.

Your comments?

Advent series ping!


2 posted on 12/18/2014 5:01:36 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Salvation
For Advent: Why Don’t Catholics Read the Bible? (They Do!)
For Advent: Where in the New Testament are "priests" mentioned?
For Advent: Life Begins in the Womb
For Advent: Inspiring Examples of Aged Faith
For Advent: Celibacy in the First Two Centuries
For Advent: The Importance of Mothers and Fathers
For Advent: The Seven Capital Sins: Lust (Week 1)
For Advent: Are You Man Enough to Take The NFP Challenge
For Advent: The Treasure of Singleness

For Advent: The Synoptic Problem
For Advent: Investigate the Abortion Industry
For Advent: The Virgin Birth
For Advent: Two Canons: Scripture & Tradition
For Advent: SAINT JOSEPH AND LIVING OUT ADVENT
For Advent: How to Advent
For Advent -- 24 Quotes About Purity That Every Young (& Old) Catholic Should Know
For Advent: Five Ways To Stop Worrying TODAY!
For Advent: Answering the New Atheism, Dawkins Dismantled
For Advent: The Sunday Propers: Advent and Penance

3 posted on 12/18/2014 5:03:51 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Salvation

In Catholic schools, it was hit or miss, mostly because of the times, and my particular diocese. I remember in 10th grade we read much of the Old Testament, like Ruth, Esther, and Judges. Of course, around Christmas, we read the Gospel accounts. And somewhere, we read the differing Creation stories. Of course, during Lent we read the accounts of the Passion.

I agree that I am not a chapter and verse guy. I also admit I should know a heck of a lot more. Fortunately, I have a pretty good textual concordance, and the Haydock Bible (which has excellent commentary).


4 posted on 12/18/2014 5:11:09 PM PST by SpirituTuo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Gamecock; metmom; daniel1212; BlueDragon; redleghunter; CynicalBear; Iscool
Our Christian home wasn’t particularly anti-Catholic, but some of our preachers were, and the general impression I got was that Catholics not only didn’t read the Bible, but that they weren’t allowed to. They didn’t go to church with their big black Bibles under their arm. They didn’t have long Bible sermons or home study groups or youth Bible camps. How could Catholics believe the Bible if they didn’t read it and study it like we did?

Its true that many Evangelicals know their Bible upside down and backwards, and compared to them Catholics sometimes seem ignorant of the Bible. But that's only an appearance.

Average Catholics asked today how often they read the Bible likely would say that they do not read the Bible regularly. However, if asked how often they read Scripture, the answer would be different. Practicing Catholics know they read and hear Scripture at every Mass. Many also recognize that basic prayers Catholics say, such as the Our Father and the Hail Mary, are scriptural. But for most Catholics, the Scripture they hear and read is not from the Bible. It is from a worship aid in the pew....

....Once the printing press was invented, the most commonly printed book was the Bible, but this still did not make Bible-reading a Catholic’s common practice. Up until the mid-twentieth Century, the custom of reading the Bible and interpreting it for oneself was a hallmark of the Protestant churches springing up in Europe after the Reformation. Protestants rejected the authority of the Pope and of the Church and showed it by saying people could read and interpret the Bible for themselves. Catholics meanwhile were discouraged from reading Scripture.

Identifying the reading and interpreting of the Bible as “Protestant” even affected the study of Scripture. Until the twentieth Century, it was only Protestants who actively embraced Scripture study. That changed after 1943 when Pope Pius XII issued the encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu. This not only allowed Catholics to study Scripture, it encouraged them to do so. And with Catholics studying Scripture and teaching other Catholics about what they were studying, familiarity with Scripture grew.
-- excerpted from Changes in Catholic Attitudes Toward Bible Readings
Found at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website


5 posted on 12/18/2014 5:13:05 PM PST by Alex Murphy ("the defacto Leader of the FR Calvinist Protestant Brigades")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SpirituTuo

Hey you got in before the Catholic bashers.


6 posted on 12/18/2014 5:14:12 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Salvation

During my childhood I went to daily Mass and so listened to scripture daily although I really didn’t pay much attention. I have read the NIV Bible or more exactly listened to Max McLain read it four times. I am now going through the NAB and actually reading and paying attention to the daily Mass readings. I’m also doing a bible study.


7 posted on 12/18/2014 5:17:27 PM PST by Mercat ("The sisters did not want to save the world. Someone already had.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Salvation

I find the title insulting and intellectually dishonest. If the author was really of sober and honest mind it would read “Why don’t Catholics follow the Bible” with a follow-up on that.


8 posted on 12/18/2014 5:17:46 PM PST by BipolarBob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Salvation

Only by two minutes.


9 posted on 12/18/2014 5:18:25 PM PST by BipolarBob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Mercat

Good for you!


10 posted on 12/18/2014 5:18:33 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Mercat

Oh wait. I have read Benedict’s Jesus of Nazareth - have read his first one twice, going through the Infancy Narative the second time.... plan to go through Holy Week before Easter. Mostly Bible study.... wow amazing.


11 posted on 12/18/2014 5:20:45 PM PST by Mercat ("The sisters did not want to save the world. Someone already had.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Salvation

My family reads the daily lectionary and at least a chapter from the Bible every morning, as well as a few paragraphs of the Catechism. As they grow up, I can’t make them believe, but I can make sure they understand what I believe is true, and why.

I was trying to study my Spanish lectionary this evening, but my 2-year-old insisted on sitting (slumping, squirming, wriggling, kicking) on my lap while she watched the Curious George Christmas movie.


12 posted on 12/18/2014 5:23:05 PM PST by Tax-chick (Un molino, la vida nos tritura con dolor.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Salvation

Yes I’ve studied various parts of the bible since Catholic high school in the 1960s. When I mention that we typically hear 3 passages each week at Mass, some FReepers tell me it’s not authentic scripture.


13 posted on 12/18/2014 5:25:11 PM PST by nascarnation (Impeach, Convict, Deport)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: nascarnation

**some FReepers tell me it’s not authentic scripture.**

Say what?


14 posted on 12/18/2014 5:26:14 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Tax-chick

**My family reads the daily lectionary and at least a chapter from the Bible every morning, as well as a few paragraphs of the Catechism.**

What a wonderful family practice. God bless you all.


15 posted on 12/18/2014 5:27:40 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Salvation

I could pull up the posts, but not worth the effort.


16 posted on 12/18/2014 5:31:39 PM PST by nascarnation (Impeach, Convict, Deport)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Salvation

Tomorrow we’ll start at paragraph 1,674 of the Catechism (”Popular Piety”) and begin the Book of Ruth. We finished Judges this morning. The Bible reading has been going on for at least 15 years, so we’ve read all of it at least once (Leviticus, Numbers ...) and the majority more than once. We do all four Gospels at least once a year; we’ll read Mark again after Ruth.

We started reading the Catechism more recently, maybe two years ago, when my prayer group was doing a study that included Catechism passages. I’d read it all through when it first came out, but that was a long time ago.


17 posted on 12/18/2014 5:31:59 PM PST by Tax-chick (Un molino, la vida nos tritura con dolor.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Alex Murphy

Facts are pesky sometimes.


18 posted on 12/18/2014 5:46:44 PM PST by Gamecock (Joel Osteen is a preacher of the Gospel like Colonel Sanders is an Army officer.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Salvation
This was actually one of Bishop Fulton Sheen's pet peeves during the Fifties. The Catholic position was "Bible + Church Tradition", and Sheen felt that the lack of emphasis on the Bible hurt evangelization. If you believe that the core of evangelization is the Word, then you need to make the Word front and center. Sheen commented on more than one occasion that the Protestants had that one right, but he said it with his puckish sense of humor and ruffled a lot of feathers in the process.

Vatican 2 took care of much of Sheen's concerns when the new lectionary was issued. Biblical emphasis took a firmer place in the council's documents, and Sheen felt vindicated.

19 posted on 12/18/2014 5:51:43 PM PST by Publius ("Who is John Galt?" by Billthedrill and Publius now available at Amazon.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Mercat

Hey, Mercat, I have a couple of recommendations for you:

A wonderful dramatzation of the RSVCE: http://www.ignatius.com/Products/TLDAB-D/the-truth-and-life-dramatized-audio-bible.aspx

And an equally good rendering of the whole Protestant canon in dramatized form: http://www.amazon.com/Word-Promise-Complete-Audio-Bible/dp/0718024133/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418954243&sr=8-1&keywords=word+of+life+audio+bible

Both versions have top notch casts of actors; some are quite well known actors too.


20 posted on 12/18/2014 5:56:49 PM PST by vladimir998
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 201-216 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson